Rundle, though, said the survey shows a need to lure higher-wage jobs -- and said he would be skeptical about granting tax abatements to even those companies that meet the new "living wage" standard of paying no less than $9.79 an hour.

"We've simply got to spend our resources more wisely," Rundle said. "I don't know who would argue with having that much more income in the local economy, which would allow people to buy houses and cars."

Johnson County was the most prosperous county in the strength index, followed by Ellis, Miami and Douglas counties. Shawnee County came in at No. 6, making the Topeka-to-Kansas City corridor a center of what Squier called "regional wealth."

Overall, Darling said, Kansas isn't doing too bad.

"Kansas is relatively prosperous in the United States," he said. "But it isn't anywhere near Connecticut, which is way up."

Squier, whose agency partners with the city and county on economic development efforts, said he also wanted to improve both the number and quality of jobs here.

He wasn't too excited about the prosperity ranking but didn't downplay it, either.

"I think if you've got to be on a side of the equation," Squier said, "you want to be on the upside of wealth."